Romance Reviews – Cane Brothers Series by Meghan Quinn

Happy Friday everyone! I haven’t actually posted what my reading/blogging goals for 2024 are yet, but one of them is definitely to finish up some of the series that I’ve had sitting on my shelf for way too long.  So far I’ve finished up the last two books in the Daevabad fantasy series and this morning I finished the last book in Meghan Quinn’s Cane Brothers romance series.  Bloom Books gave me the push I needed on that one when they re-released the series with the gorgeous new covers I’m featuring above.  I thoroughly enjoyed all three books so I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

A Not So Meet Cute (Cane Brothers, 1) Goodreads

Author: Meghan Quinn

Publication Date: Originally published November 2, 2021, re-released November 14, 2023

Publisher: Bloom Books

A Not So Meet Cute is the first book in Meghan Quinn’s Cane Brothers series and this is the spiciest book in the series! The story follows Huxley, the oldest Cane Brother, and it’s an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine romance that also features fake dating.  Those are some of my favorite romance tropes and as if those weren’t enough, A Not So Meet Cute also has major Pretty Woman vibes, so I had a great time reading this one.

When we first meet Huxley Cane, he has gotten himself into a mess while trying to secure a big business deal.  In trying to wine and dine his potential client, Huxley lies and tells them that he is engaged and that his fiancée is pregnant.  There’s just one problem with that. There’s no baby and Huxley doesn’t even have a girlfriend, much less a fiancée.  Enter Lottie Gardner. Lottie has just unexpectedly been fired from her job and is trolling around Beverly Hills jokingly searching for a Sugar Daddy.  Her unexpected run-in with Huxley leads to her spilling her guts about her predicament, which then leads to Huxley having her sign a business contract, where she pretends to be his pregnant fiancée until he lands the big business deal.  Lottie thinks Huxley is a jerk, but the terms of the contract would allow her to pay off her debts so she reluctantly agrees and moves into his mansion.  Neither of them realizes just how much their lives are about to change…

Lottie had my heart right from her first scene.  She’s fierce, sassy, and very resilient.  She doesn’t care that Huxley is a billionaire and refuses to take any crap from him.  Huxley is a sexy but broody, grump of a man and it takes time to warm up to him, both for me and for Lottie.  I enjoyed watching Lottie push the boundaries of their agreement and force Huxley out of his grumpy comfort zone.  They have intense chemistry with one another and keeping their arrangement professional becomes more challenging, the more time they are forced to spend together.

While it is definitely filled with tension and spice, A Not So Meet Cute is also hilarious.  I’ve never read a fake pregnancy story before so I wasn’t sure I would like it since I’m not a fan of the accidental pregnancy trope. I didn’t need to worry though because I thoroughly enjoyed all of the crazy and awkward antics that took place as Lottie and Huxley were forced to bond with Huxley’s client over breast pumps, lamaze classes, and so many other pregnancy-related activities. I laughed my way from cover to cover and rooted for Lottie and Huxley to get together all the more!

While this is a series, all three books work as interconnected standalones, so if your vibe is super spicy Pretty Woman, you’ll definitely want to check this one out and meet Lottie and Huxley!  4 STARS

So Not Meant to Be (Cane Brothers, 2) Goodreads

Author: Meghan Quinn

Publication Date: Originally published June 7, 2022, re-released December 5, 2023

Publisher:  Bloom Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e- copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

So Not Meant to Be is the second book in Meghan Quinn’s Cane Brothers series and boy does it deliver the laughs! It’s an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance that centers on the middle Cane brother, JP.  JP is a charmer and has won the heart of everyone who works for him. Well, everyone except for Kelsey, who thinks he’s just obnoxious and refuses to give in to his charms.  She also very much disagrees with JP’s belief, a la When Harry Met Sally, that a man and a woman cannot work together and just remain friends.  When Kelsey is forced to not only go on a business trip with JP, but to also stay in the same penthouse with him, JP’s theory is put to the test with hilarious and heartfelt results.

I adored JP and was charmed by him immediately.  He’s a flirt and he’s very intrigued by Kelsey, and he likes to push her buttons to get a rise out of her. Kelsey, on the other hand, took some getting used to because she came across as a bit prickly and judgmental in the beginning.  Once I got used to her personality, and especially once she and JP started to get to know each other better, I really warmed up to her.  I also love the forced proximity trope so it was definitely a good time watching the two of them share the same space as they slowly work through their feelings for one another.  As always with Meghan Quinn’s writing, the humor, and especially the banter, is top notch and had me downright cackling at times!

So Not Meant to Be was another fun installment in the series and even though this is a series, the books do work as interconnected standalones so if When Harry Met Sally is your vibe, you could easily start with this one.  4 STARS

A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers, 3) Goodreads

Author: Meghan Quinn

Publication Date:Originally published January 10, 2023, re-released January 2, 2024

Publisher:  Bloom Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e- copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

A Long Time Coming is the third installment in Meghan Quinn’s Cane Brothers series and this one was my favorite.  A friends-to-lovers romance, I found this one to be the sweetest book in the series.  This story focuses on Breaker, the youngest Cane brother, and his best friend of ten years, Ophelia Fairweather-Fern (Lia).  Breaker and Lia met and bonded over all things nerdy when they were in college. Even now, all these years later, they are still inseparable, having weekly board game nights, and they actually live next door to one another.  When Lia announces that she and her boyfriend Brian are getting married, it’s only natural that Breaker, as her best friend, would serve as her Man of Honor.  But is he only just a friend?

I adored both Lia and Breaker.  They were just so sweet and fun together, and their banter had me in stitches the whole time I was reading.  I also really felt for Lia too though because the whole situation with her wedding is a nightmare.  Brian’s mother, an upper crust snob, has deemed Lia as a somewhat acceptable choice for her son but decides that she should be the one to make ALL of the decisions regarding the ceremony, up to and including what Lia should wear, where the ceremony should be held, and when it should take place (5 weeks after Brian’s proposal because an elite location has one opening!).  She stomps on Lia’s ideas at every turn and makes her feel inferior over and over again, while Brian just stands there and lets his mother behave this way.  It is Breaker who steps in time and time again to defend Lia and to put Brian’s mother in her place.  I already loved Breaker and thought he was a sweetheart before watching him in action to defend Lia, so he became ultimate book boyfriend material when he went after Brian’s awful mother.

I’m a huge sucker for a friends-to-lovers romance so I was in heaven watching Breaker and Lia slowly come to realize that their love for one another has long since left the friend zone.  While this is a series, all three books work as interconnected standalones, so if sweet, sexy and fun is your vibe and you enjoy movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding, you’ll definitely want to check out A Long Time Coming.   4 STARS